Drying kiln



Dec, 30, 1924.

E. E. PERKINS DRYING KILN I Filed June 1 6, 1923 FE Far/ans Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,520,844 N- ICE.

ELMER E. PERKINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ELMEIR- E. PERKINS COM- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OIf ILLINOIS.

DRYING KILN.

Application filed June 16,

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it knownthat 1, Emma .E. PERKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chica o, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Drying Kilns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to drying kilns, and while the principles thereof may be embodied in kilns adapted for drying various articles and substances, the invention is illustrated asembodied in a drying kiln which is particularly adapted for dry ing powdered material employed in the manufacture of confections.

Many confections are dried by surrounding them with powdered material, principally starch, which absorbs the moisture fromthe confections. In some instances the trays of starch with the confections therein are placed in the drying kiln, and in other instances the moisture is absorbed from the confections by the starch outside the kiln, and the starch in the trays is then placed in the kiln for the removal of the moisture therefrom, so that it may be used again for drying confections. V

In drying this powdered material, such as starch, either in conjunction with or separate from the confections, it is desir-- able that a continuous circulation of air around and between the starch trays be maintained, and that the drying room or kiln be of substantially uniform temperature throughout, and that the circulation of air be not only continuous but substantially uniform. These results are best accomplished by heating the air at the bottom of the kiln beneath the trays, but since the starch is quite inflammable, and since more or less of it isspilled from the trays during the loading and unloading of the kiln, it has, prior to my invention, been impractical and dangerous to place the heating elements beneath the trucks. On the contrary, ithas been considered, for purposes of safety, necessary to have the heating elements at the sides of the kiln, with the result that the most eflicient air circulation and temperatures in the drying room could not be obtained.

One of the primary purposes of my present invention is to provide a drying room adapted to receive truck loads of starch trays, and in which the heating elements 1923. Serial No. 345,733.

are distributed, over the bottom of the room beneath the trucks so as to maintain the mostefiicient air circulation and temperae tures,-the heating elements beingso located that starch dislodged or dropping from the; trays will not come in contact with the heating elements, and consequently, will not become ignited.

Another feature of the invention resides in the arrangement and distribution of the heating pipes, and in the utilization of the truck track supports as a means of coVer-' ing and protecting the pipes against the lodgment of starch thereon.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description, when considered in connection with the accompanying draw mgs.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view through a drying kiln embodying my in venuon; V

Fig; 2 is a fragmentary plan View shoW ing the pipe'arrangement at one end of the kiln;

-Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the piping connection at the opposite end of the kiln. I

Referring to the drawings more in detail, reference character 5 indicates thevfloor, 6 the ceiling, and 7 and 8 the side walls, respectively, of a drying room, any number of which rooms may be assembled in a battery if desired. Upon the floor room in spaced relation there is disposed a series of truck track supports in the'fo-rm of I-beams 9, each carrying a channelshaped track rail 11. The track rails and their supports are spaced so as to accommodate a plurality of trucks, one of which is indicated by reference character 12, each adapt ed to carry a stack 13 of starch trays, or the like. i a

For the purpose of raising the air in the room to the proper temperature, heating elements in the form of pipes are disposed adjacent .to the Webs of the track supporting I-bearns, and extend longitudinally thereof. There is one set of such pipes for each pair of track rails, and each'setconsists of two supply pipes14 and '15, re-

spectively, disposed on opposite sides of the web of an I-beam, and return pipes 16 and 17 disposed beneath the supply pipes and connected to their respective supply pipes by cross-connecting pipes 18 and 19, respectively. The track supporting I-beams terminate short of the rear end of the drying room, as will be apparent from Fig. 2, thereby enabling the cross-connecting pipes 18 and 19 to be installed. The track rails 11, however, extend to therear Wall of the room so that the: trucks can be placed inproximity to said;wall. The forward ends of adjacent supply pipes 14: and 15, are connected to a header 21,, which receivesits supply from a steam supply pipe 22, extending transversely of the kiln at'one end thereof. Each pair of return pipes 16 and 17 is connected to a similar header, which in turn is adapted to deliver into a return pipe 23 extending parallel with and beneath the pipe 22. The heating medium, such as steam, therefore flows from the pipe 22 into the pipes 14 and 15 disposed on opposite sides of the Web of an I-beam support, and when it reaches the opposite end of the support, it is conducted by the pipes 18 and 19 to the return pipes 16 and 17, respectively, and thence back to the main return pipe 23.

It will be observed that the longitudinally extending heating pipes all lie close to "the webs of the track supports and are disposedbeneathand covered by the upper flanges 24 of these I-beams, so that starch or other inflammable material dropping from the trays is prevented from lodging upon or contacting with these pipes. At the end of the kiln where the cross-connecting pipes 18 and 19 are disposed, a covering 25, in the form of a board or plank, is positioned over these pipes to likewise protect them from falling starch or other material. At the opposite end of the kiln the supply and return pipes 22 and 23 are similarly covered, as indicated at 26. It will be apparent, therefore, that by the employment of this construction I am enabled to. position the heating pipes in a drying room beneath the trucks upon which the starch carrying 1 trays are carried, but without subjecting the structure to the dangers incident to contact of 'the starch with these heating pipes. Should any starch fall from the trays, it will lodge on the floor beneath the I-b'eams where it can be swept out, and none of it will be permitted to lodge upon the pipes, which are all disposed beneath the upper flanges of the I-beams.

In the operation of the room, the heat is turned into the pipes and the heating me-. cliiiiircirciilates through the pipes, passing to one end of the kiln tl'irou'gh pipes 14 and 15, and being then returned by the pipes 1 6' and 17. The heated air rises and is circulated around and between the traysmounted upon the trucks, and circulation is maintained and" excess moisture is removed from the air by means of cooling coils 27, mounted upon one or more Walls of the room.

By this construction I am enabled to mount the heating pipes in the position most desirable and most eificient, and at the same time I have eliminated the dangers of conflagration which have heretofore prohibited the location of the heating pipes beneath the trucks.

The structural details of the invention may" obviously be varied within considerable limits Without departing from the essence of the invention, as defined in the following claims.

I claim:-

1:. A drying kilnjoomprising a drying room,-t-ruck supp'ort'ing'tracks disposed with in said room and spaced above the floor thereof, heating pipes extending parallel. with and beneath said tracks, and cooling means in said room remote from said heating pipes. s

2. A drying kiln comprising a. drying room, truck supporting tracks disposed Within said room, means for supporting said tracks above the floor of the room, heat ing pipes disposed parallel with and in proximity to said supportingmeans, and means projecting over said heating pipes for preventing the material being dried from falling on said pipes, the horizontal space between'said pipes being uncovered to permit the air heated by said pipes to rise directly into the room between the tracks.

3. A drying kiln comprising a drying room, Lbeams arranged in parallelism upon the floor of said room, truck supporting tracks carried by said I-beams, and heating means positioned adjacent to thewebs of said beams and beneath the upper flanges thereof.

4-. A drying kiln comprising a drying room, I-beams disposed upon the floor of said room, truck supporting tracks carried by said I-beams, heating pipes positioned beneath the upper flanges of said I-beams so that saidfianges prevent material from falling upon said heating pipes, supply and delivery pipes disposed at one end of the room and connected with said heating pipes, cross-connecting pipes between said heating pipes at the oppositeend of the room, and means for covering said cross-connecting pipes and said supply and delivery pipes.

5. A drying kiln comprising a. drying room, I-beams disposed upon the floor of said room, truck supporting tracks carried by said I-beams, heating pipes disposed beneath the upper flanges of said I-beams, return pipes disposed beneath said heating pipes, cross-connecting pipes connecting the heating pipes adjacent one I-beam with the return pipes of an adjacent I-beam, supply and delivery pipes connected with said heating and return pipes, and means for covering said supply, delivery, and crossconnecting pipes.

6. A drying kiln comprising a drying room, I-beams disposed upon the floor thereof, heating pipes extending parallel with each I-beam in proximity to the web thereof and beneath the upper flanges of said I- beam, return pipes extending parallel with and in proximity to the web of an adjacent I-beam, and cross-connecting pipes connect ing said heating and return pipes.

7. A drying kiln comprising a drying room, heating pipes distributed throughout said room, in proximity to the floor thereof, truck supporting tracks, and means for sup porting said tracks above the floor, said means including laterally extending flanges disposed over said heating pipes.

8. A drying kiln comp-rising a drying room, heating pipes distributed in spaced relation throughout said room in proximity to the floor thereof, and means disposed directly over said pipes for preventing material being dried from falling onto the pipes, said means being spaced apart correspondingly with said pipes, thus establishing direct communication from the pipes to the room above between said means.

9. A drying kiln comprising a drying room, I-beams disposed in parallelism upon the floor of said room, truck supporting tracks mounted on said I-beams, pipes extending parallel with said I-beams and disposed beneath the upper flanges thereof, said pipes extending in close proximity to' both faces of the Webs of the I-beams, headers, each connected to a pair of said pipes, and supply and delivery pipes connected to said headers. i

10. The combination in a drying room, of heating pipes disposed in spaced relation in proximity to the floor of the room, and truck supporting members located parallel with and above said pipes in position to prevent material being dried from falling onto said pipes, said members being arranged in spaced relation so that communication between the space surrounding said pipes and the room above said members is established between said members.

ELMER E. PERKINS. 

